NSBE - Winter 2010/2011 - 44

wHErE Are They now?

Lonnie G. Johnson, Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc.

By Bridget McCrea

ormer NASA engineer Lonnie G. Johnson is best known for inventing the Super Soaker water gun, a fun product that has generated almost $1 billion in retail sales since he licensed it to Larami Corporation in 1989. Larami was later purchased by Hasbro Corporation, and the Super Soaker went on to become the best-selling toy in the U.S. in 1991 and 1992. The Super Soaker peaked almost two decades ago, but Johnson has continued to climb. The prolific inventor now holds more than 80 patents, with about 20 more pending, and is the author of several publications on spacecraft power systems. In 2001, NSBE honored him with a Golden Torch Award. Today, Johnson, the founder and president of Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., is among the world’s leaders in research and development of alternative energy technology. One of his spin-off firms, Excellatron Solid State, LLC, is developing a new generation of thin-film batteries for military applications, implantable medical devices and other applications that require high performance.

The inventor of the Super Soaker water gun is among the world’s leaders in alternative energy technology.
Excellatron’s batteries have effectively “bridged the gap” between the laboratory samples and commercial products such as smart cards, active radio frequency identification tags and micro-electro-mechanical systems, Johnson told NSBE Magazine. “We’re on track to be the first manufacturer of thin-film batteries and to become a dominant player in this technology arena.” Another spin-off, Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems, LLC, has created the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter System (JTEC), an engine that converts heat to electricity and was listed by Popular Mechanics as one of the top 10 inventions of 2008. “The engine will be more effective than any other option on the (market) and will be useful both for solar power generation and for obtaining heat from other types of engines,” he says. Johnson’s interest in engineering and science can be traced back to a junkyard. At the age of 18, as a senior in high school in the segregated South, Johnson won first place in a national science competition at the University of Alabama for his invention of a remote-controlled robot named “Linex,” which he made from junkyard scraps. Johnson moved on to Tuskegee University, where he earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1972 and an M.S. in nuclear engineering in 1974. Then he put his education to work as a research engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; in research and management positions with the U.S. Air Force; and as an engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, working on the Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Mars Observer project and the Cassini Saturn project. In 1989, he became an entrepreneur, capitalizing on the success of the Super Soaker by forming Johnson Research and Development. Johnson sees plentiful opportunity for engineers who can combine solid inventing skills with technical knowledge. “We had to staff up our company by hiring people from all over the world,” says Johnson. “What that tells me is that there’s certainly no lack of opportunity for engineers here in the U.S.” With the domestic economy continuing its slow rebound, and with more corporations and individuals focused on the environment and alternative energies, Johnson expects engineering opportunities to expand over the next few years. “The environmental and energy sectors in particular will need engineers who know technology and who can solve problems and provide solutions,” he says. ■
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See Lonnie Johnson at NSBE’s 37th Annual Convention in St. Louis Keynote Speaker, Thursday General Session March 24, 2011
44 • nsbe magazine • winter 2010/11

NSBE - Winter 2010/2011

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